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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. field — a subject
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. chip — for betting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. prune — to trim
  10. field — farmland
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. game — a match
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. ball — a dance
  15. field — for sport
  16. prune — to trim
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. lie — to recline
  22. ball — a great time
  23. game — wild animals
  24. lie — an untruth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com